Yet those words had to come from his kin-his beloved kid sister. A deep part of him still didnât want to see her suffer from too harsh a punishment. The conflicting emotions pained Landon to no end.
âAre you having PMS or what?â Jasper flicked away the ash on his cigarette. âSeriously. What the hell is up with you?â
Landon took a deep breath. âZoe was the one who had someone make the counterfeit jewelry for Betty.â
Jasperâs eyes darkened, but he remained silent.
âDid you know this from the start?â
Jasper nodded. âI did.â
Guilt plagued Landonâs heart. âJasper, my sister is-â
âThereâs something else you should know now that it has come to this point.â Jasper huffed out a puff of smoke. âYour sister was also the one who set up the reporters to catch Alyssa unaware.â
Landonâs expression fell, as if he was stuck in quicksand that he could not pull himself out of.
A moment later, he murmured weakly, âIâm sorry, Jasper.â
Jasper merely said, âThe person who should be saying that is your sister, not you. And the person who should be hearing that is my ex-wife, not me.â
Even calling Alyssa his ex-wife made his heart ache.
âThereâs no point using Zoeâs age as an excuse. Sheâs 22 now.â Landon swallowed nervously. âBut youâve seen what she was like back then.
âShe can be very adamant and temperamental, always wanting to get her way. She never considers the consequences of her actions.
âBut sheâs not bad at heart. Bettyâs just led her astray. Iâm at fault for not disciplining her properly, too.â
Jasper pursed his lips briefly before asking, âSo, how do you plan to deal with your sisterâs mess and make it up to Alyssa?â
Landon reflected that Jasper had always been like that. He was always focused on what should and shouldnât be done.
Jasper was never lenient in moments like this, not even for Zoe, who was Landonâs sister. It only took the âIâm bringing Zoe to Belbanks to apologize to Alyssa in person.â
âThatâs it?â
âJasper, Zoeâs my sister. Can you let her go easy this time around, for my sake? This is a first for her, after allâ¦â Landon begged.
Jasper murmured, âIâm coming with you tomorrow.â
âYou⦠What? You donât think Iâm going to defend my sisterâs actions, are you? I swear, if I do, I will-â
âNo, Iâm just concerned you might get into trouble.â Jasper slowly got up from his seat.
Landon winced slightly. Jasper must be recalling how Alyssa had threatened him with her blade last time.
âJust in time, too. Itâs been a while since Iâve seen her.â Jasperâs eyes softened just the slightest as he walked toward the door.
âHey! Answer my question first!â Landon yelled, âCan you let Zoe off this time, for our friendshipâs sake, please? Iâll make sure Zoe apologizes to Alyssa and pays her all the costs and damages that arose from this mess!â
Jasper stopped in his step, asking slowly, âTell me, Landon: if it was your sister who got schemed and attacked like this today, would you let the perpetrator go that easy?â
Landon was left speechless by that question.
âI can let Zoe keep her pride in all of this, for your sake.â Jasper cracked his knuckles lightly, his tone turning dangerous. âBut only this once.â